What a meaningful piece you've written here. "Ancestors are always with us. Death is merely the end of the material realm. Spiritual power permeates all nature and in death there is a return to this unseen realm." This reminds me of Teilhard de Chardin's theology based on his belief that "Matter and Spirit: these were no longer two things, but two states or two aspects of one and the same cosmic Stuff."
Appreciate any and all factual corrections to my posts. Grateful this morning to get word I made a mistake about who the American Indian Education teacher was that year. Uffda. It wasn't Mr. Snowden, but Mr. Norwegian. Thanks, folks, for keeping me honest and accurate!
This was beautiful. So was your summary in last paragraph. Thank you for sharing this. I knew little about this until today. And now I'll seek to learn more..
I love the pictures you included. It captures the descriptions of everything you write about and makes them more realistic, especially for those of us who never saw it.
Thank you, Jill. This does feel like good news in our hard world. It's interesting when you put out information to receive corrections since so much of the history is lost. I love seeing photos of the spirit houses and I'm grateful the area is being preserved for the ancestors. Thank you for this sacred history lesson.
From my end I can't tell if it is bothersome to readers when I go back in and edit a post after it's been published. I hope not! Too many email notifications is a nuisance. But I think my process is about being willing to make corrections, to recognize when there are mistakes and errors and change.
For me, it's not bothersome. I like observing the process of getting to as much truth as possible which means the research sometimes backtracks. I feel the serious attempt to find what really happened from primary sources, not just writing a "pretty" story.
Well, I made another correction this morning as to the title of Mr. Norwegian as coordinator of the American Indian Education Program at WHS; the teacher was/is Mr. Snowden. I appreciate the corrections from readers who ARE primary sources! I don't know if this platform sends out the corrected version or not and if that is happening I hope you'll let me know. Perhaps I should flag edits in revised versions. Still figuring this out. It's all a process.
When I read your piece today and learned about the openings in the little burial houses I thought of the Egyptians and the Greeks who had put openings in some of the sarcophagi. The Greeks did this in some places in the transition from the pre-Christian to the the Christian periods. Apparently both Egyptians and Greeks would pour some wine into these openings. Very thoughtful.
Smudging with sage is a purification ritual. And you are right that spirit houses have been found around the globe in various cultures and times. In Asian cultures spirit houses are also common. Tobacco rather than wine is the customary offering to the spirits in Ojibway culture. Tobacco is the English word, but often dried red willow bark or other medicinal plants are used.
What a meaningful piece you've written here. "Ancestors are always with us. Death is merely the end of the material realm. Spiritual power permeates all nature and in death there is a return to this unseen realm." This reminds me of Teilhard de Chardin's theology based on his belief that "Matter and Spirit: these were no longer two things, but two states or two aspects of one and the same cosmic Stuff."
Interesting! I had never heard of Spirit Houses before.
Appreciate your comment. It is helpful to know what is new to readers, and what is interesting. Thanks for reading.
Thank you for sharing this quiet moment of spiritual healing with us, Jill.
thanks for stopping by on a Sunday morning to find a different kind of "good news"
Appreciate any and all factual corrections to my posts. Grateful this morning to get word I made a mistake about who the American Indian Education teacher was that year. Uffda. It wasn't Mr. Snowden, but Mr. Norwegian. Thanks, folks, for keeping me honest and accurate!
This was beautiful. So was your summary in last paragraph. Thank you for sharing this. I knew little about this until today. And now I'll seek to learn more..
Thanks for sharing about spirit houses and including the photos…I had no idea. Your research has uncovered made visible some pretty amazing things!
Thanks, Deb. Your photographs from your travel adventures are also amazing.
Thanks Jill, almost time to do more of those!
I love the pictures you included. It captures the descriptions of everything you write about and makes them more realistic, especially for those of us who never saw it.
Thanks. I'm not a great photographer, but the images sometimes speak louder than words.
Thank you, Jill. This does feel like good news in our hard world. It's interesting when you put out information to receive corrections since so much of the history is lost. I love seeing photos of the spirit houses and I'm grateful the area is being preserved for the ancestors. Thank you for this sacred history lesson.
From my end I can't tell if it is bothersome to readers when I go back in and edit a post after it's been published. I hope not! Too many email notifications is a nuisance. But I think my process is about being willing to make corrections, to recognize when there are mistakes and errors and change.
For me, it's not bothersome. I like observing the process of getting to as much truth as possible which means the research sometimes backtracks. I feel the serious attempt to find what really happened from primary sources, not just writing a "pretty" story.
Well, I made another correction this morning as to the title of Mr. Norwegian as coordinator of the American Indian Education Program at WHS; the teacher was/is Mr. Snowden. I appreciate the corrections from readers who ARE primary sources! I don't know if this platform sends out the corrected version or not and if that is happening I hope you'll let me know. Perhaps I should flag edits in revised versions. Still figuring this out. It's all a process.
What is smudging?
When I read your piece today and learned about the openings in the little burial houses I thought of the Egyptians and the Greeks who had put openings in some of the sarcophagi. The Greeks did this in some places in the transition from the pre-Christian to the the Christian periods. Apparently both Egyptians and Greeks would pour some wine into these openings. Very thoughtful.
Smudging with sage is a purification ritual. And you are right that spirit houses have been found around the globe in various cultures and times. In Asian cultures spirit houses are also common. Tobacco rather than wine is the customary offering to the spirits in Ojibway culture. Tobacco is the English word, but often dried red willow bark or other medicinal plants are used.
So beautifully written! Thank you, Jill!
Thanks, Constance